Someone is always trying to tell us what to eat. It’s like religions: they can’t all be right, and they might all be wrong. One of the most pervasive food myths is the idea of “superfoods,” the belief that certain foods are particularly good for us. Obviously some foods have… read more "Superfood Silliness"
Keep Naturopathy Out of the VA!
AMVETS has joined with The American Association of Naturopathic Physicians in seeking to “promote natural, non-pharmacological approaches to treating patients suffering from chronic pain.” They are petitioning Congress and the VA to authorize bringing licensed NDs into the VA system. As a veteran myself, a retired Air Force Colonel and… read more "Keep Naturopathy Out of the VA!"
Frontal Lobotomy: Zombies Created by One of Medicine’s Greatest Mistakes
Frontal lobotomies have a dramatic, thankfully rather brief, history in the treatment of mental illness. Janet Sternburg has written an illuminating, and humanizing, book on the history of lobotomies, both personal and societal. It’s not clear who first quipped “I’d rather have a bottle in front of me than a… read more "Frontal Lobotomy: Zombies Created by One of Medicine’s Greatest Mistakes"
Lawsuit Alleges School Wi-Fi Harmed Child with Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity
My mother had a favorite saying that rhymed: “All you need from dawn to dawn is someone else to blame it on.” WiFi involves mysterious emissions that you can’t see and that sneakily permeate our environment, and they have become a popular target for blame. A lawsuit has been filed… read more "Lawsuit Alleges School Wi-Fi Harmed Child with Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity"
Physician Wallace Sampson, Expert on False Medical Claims, Dies at Eighty-Five
The skeptical community has lost a shining star. On May 25, 2015, Wallace Sampson, MD, died in California at the age of eighty-five from complications of heart surgery; he had been in the hospital since February. He is survived by his wife of fifty-nine years, five sons, and nine grandchildren.… read more "Physician Wallace Sampson, Expert on False Medical Claims, Dies at Eighty-Five"
The Science of Mom: A Science-Based Book about Baby Care
From the author’s website: “Shameless use of cute baby to promote book” When a baby is born, parents are often awed and alarmed to find themselves responsible for this tiny new person, and they desperately want to do their very best to keep their infant safe and healthy. New mothers… read more "The Science of Mom: A Science-Based Book about Baby Care"
Taxpayers Fund Scientology Research on Gulf War Veterans
The “Hubbard protocol” is Scientology’s religion-based, pseudoscientific “detoxification” treatment used in its Narconon program to treat drug addiction. It was dreamed up by a science fiction writer with no medical training. Now it is being studied as a treatment for veterans suffering from Gulf War illness. Our limited public money for… read more "Taxpayers Fund Scientology Research on Gulf War Veterans"
An Alternative to Appendectomy: Antibiotics
My title doesn’t refer to alternative medicine, it refers to an alternative within medicine: treating appendicitis with antibiotics instead of surgery. You may be surprised to learn that patients with appendicitis don’t always automatically need an appendectomy. A recent randomized controlled trial in Finland compared surgery to medical treatment. History of appendicitis… read more "An Alternative to Appendectomy: Antibiotics"
Monkeys, Myths, and Molecules: A Chemist Separates Fact from Fiction
“Dr. Joe” (from the title of his radio show) has done it again. He keeps putting out books faster than I can take them in; this one is titled Monkeys, Myths, and Molecules. It is packed with pithy analyses of health-related subjects that should be of particular interest to SBM readers. Dr. Joe… read more "Monkeys, Myths, and Molecules: A Chemist Separates Fact from Fiction"
Is Homeopathy Unethical?
“A gentle ethical defence of homeopathy” by Levy et al. was recently published in an ethics journal. A full-text preprint is available online. They say: Utilitarian critiques of homeopathy that are founded on unsophisticated notions of evidence, that adopt narrow perspectives on healthcare assessment, and that overstate the personal, social and ontological… read more "Is Homeopathy Unethical?"